A cool breeze wafted through the open window of the dimly lit study, ruffling the hair of the dragon officer seated at the desk piled high with papers. Alfeegi sniffed silently, focusing his remaining energy on writing his report on the kingdom's treasury for the lord. Although several days had passed since that fateful meeting of realization and doubt, he still fought hard to keep the tears from flowing as he thought of Lykoleon with his secrecy and evasiveness, and the fact that his best friend was deceiving him. The officer sniffed again, ignoring the moisture that welled up in his eyes.

I will not cry, Alfeegi thought fiercely, I will not.

No matter what the white officer did to control his emotions, nothing could stop the faint trickling of tears as they landed on the papers clutched tightly in his hands, smearing the fresh ink and wrinkling the parchment. Alfeegi wiped them hastily away, reminding himself that he had to finish his report before Tetheus came in to collect it, for it could not be late. His quill scratched frantically as he wrote the complex signs and symbols, growing more and more unwieldy as his vision blurred with the unshed sorrow of his troubled heart.

A sharp knock at the door made Alfeegi jump, stifling a gasp as his shaking hand slashed a black streak across his nearly completed report.

"Damn it..." he cursed. Oblivious to his tear-stained cheeks, Alfeegi turned to the door and was about to tell Tetheus to give him more time to finish when he stopped short, realizing exactly who had stepped into his cluttered office. Ruwalk leaned casually against the wall just inside the room, smiling placidly. His smile was quickly replaced by such a look of concern and worry that Alfeegi was forced to turn away and continue his ruined work, very much aware of how red his eyes were and how wet his parchment was.

"Alfeegi!" the yellow officer cried, rushing over to the trembling form, who was trying desperately to hide his grief behind a mask of false happiness as he looked up at Ruwalk.

"Yes?" he managed to croak. He watched in anxiety as Ruwalk cocked his head in confusion, contemplating Alfeegi's strange behavior.

"Is something wrong, Alfeegi?" the yellow officer asked, flicking a strand of red and orange hair from his eyes as the breeze made its presence known. Alfeegi shook his head quickly, then turned back to his work. Though by turning away he hid his face, the white officer's hand still shook as it gripped the quill, betraying his emotions.

"Just go...I'm fine Ruwalk," he said through gritted teeth, suppressing his despondency. Out of politeness, he added, "I'll walk you to the door." Alfeegi stood, pushing in his chair out of pure habit, and brushed past Ruwalk, keeping his eyes on the ground in front of him. He halted when a strong arm encircled his shoulders, and a reassuring voice whispered in his ear.

"You can't hide from me. Come on now, tell me what's wrong, and I'll help you if I can," Ruwalk said, half-smiling.

Alfeegi would have been surprised at this act of compassion had it not been from the yellow officer, who behaved this way with everyone in the castle, including Lykoleon. Alfeegi's body flinched involuntarily at the thought of the dragon lord as he tried to choke back a sob, loosing tears from their precarious perches at the edge of his eyes and splashing down onto Ruwalk's bare arm.

Ruwalk noticed the sudden wetness, and tried to comfort his friend with soothing words, "Oh Alfeegi," he chided, slipping his other arm around the officer's slim waist, "you don't have to be so strong all the time. Not with me. You've been hurt, I know, I see it day by day. Your face grows sadder and your once purposeful eyes are blank. Tell me, what has happened to break you this way? Tell me, how can I make it better?" Ruwalk could get rather poetic when he tried to comfort another; it was one of those subconscious things that he paid no attention to but those around him sometimes envied. He was skilled with words.

Alfeegi tensed up, fearing his shoulders would begin to tremble and reveal even more of his shadowed feelings, ones he fought so hard to conceal and forget for the sake of the ones he cared for. He didn't want them to worry about him; he didn't want their pity. He would sooner become an emotionless shell than concern his friends with his troubles, whatever the cost. Alfeegi's mask had worked so far with the other officers, he thought he had done a pretty decent job shrouding his sentiments with a pretense of cheerfulness, but Ruwalk had proved him wrong. It seemed as though the fiery haired dragon could see through his defenses as an eagle does through a glassy river, cutting right to the heart of the problem and shattering the mask Alfeegi hid behind.

The white officer reached up and detached Ruwalk's arms, walking a few steps forward, his back to his friend. "There is nothing you can do," Alfeegi said, summoning all his strength to keep his voice steady and clear, "nothing."

They stood there for what seemed to be hours, listening to the wind gently blowing into the room, the stacks of paper rustling and the pages of various books turning without the aid of their owners. A heavy silence settled and the air crackled with the echoes of Alfeegi's words.

The blue haired dragon sighed, assuming Ruwalk had accepted his resolution to resist any help offered to him. Alfeegi heard the light thump of footsteps behind him, and he was about to turn and apologize to Ruwalk for his pathetic behavior when he felt a firm grip on his upper arm as he was roughly brought around to face the his friend, the yellow officer's golden eyes full of with empathy and...desire?

Before Alfeegi could open his mouth to protest, Ruwalk closed the gap between them with one swift motion and kissed the stunned officer full on the lips. Alfeegi blinked in astonishment, and tried to push Ruwalk away, his body rigid and his mind mystified at his friend's open show of affection. Surely it could not mean what he thought it meant. Ruwalk could not be...no. No. It simply was not possible. But as the yellow officer ran his long fingers through the white officer's hair, trailing them down to his neck and tracing the form of his jaw with the light touch reserved for a lover, Alfeegi found it difficult to fool himself any longer. He could not deny that a hidden part of his soul took pleasure in this sudden act of love, and he began to relax, even returning Ruwalk's kiss, however shyly.

The abrupt feeling of a flat, hard surface against his back made Alfeegi's eyes go wide with shock, realizing what it was.

A wall? He thought in disbelief, where did that come from?

Ruwalk continued to kiss Alfeegi, now that he had him without a way of escape, but paused only briefly to whisper a few words into his ear.

"If you won't tell me how to help you," Ruwalk said as he caressed Alfeegi's neck, "I'll find a way of my own..." Without waiting for a response, he kissed him again, relishing every minute. It was in this moment that they failed to detect another presence in the small office with them, watching the tender scene with a mix of bewilderment and annoyance.

Tetheus stood tall in the doorway, almost menacing as he observed the two dragons from across room, the folder in his hand awaiting Alfeegi's still unfinished report. He was silent, and his face wore the expression of one without the skill to voice their thoughts, wiped clean of any emotion.

He cleared his throat to get the attention of Ruwalk and Alfeegi, who were still completely oblivious to him. It was Alfeegi who broke off long enough to see Tetheus, and the first to blush a deep crimson as he compared what he was currently doing to what he was expected to be doing.

"T-Tetheus! What...what are you doing here?" Alfeegi asked innocently.

The black dragon officer shook his head, "I believe the question is, what are you doing here?"